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THANKS-DOING

I've always regarded Thanksgiving as a distinctly American holiday because of its origin story.  In 1621, 53 Pilgrims invited about 90 Native Americans to join them in a feast to thank God for His goodness, faithfulness, and providence.  The celebration lasted three days.  We can view this event as one of the most significant moments in early American history.

However, if you claim that Thanksgiving is solely an American holiday, our friends to the north will disagree. By friends to the north, I don't mean people living in Pennsylvania; I mean Canada. Canada celebrates Thanksgiving every year, and their Thanksgiving tradition dates back even further than ours, to the 1500s.

And if you say that Thanksgiving is specifically a North American celebration, some of our friends to the south might disagree. And by south, I don't mean South Carolina. I mean South America, specifically Brazil. In Brazil, Thanksgiving isn't a national holiday, but many churches celebrate it on the same day we do, holding a special worship service centered on the theme of Thanksgiving.

There's something I really like about the name they use for this special day in Brazil. It's called ação de graças (axsohn de grahsas), which literally means "action of thanks."

It's the same in French-speaking Canada. Thanksgiving is called Jour de l'Action de grâce, which literally means the day of the action of thanks.

Do you know what I like about the French-Canadian and Brazilian names for Thanksgiving? They both include the word 'action.' They've got it right—thankfulness is an action.

Sometimes we misunderstand what it truly means to be thankful. We often think it's just a feeling.  I've heard many people say, "It's not that I don't feel gratitude or appreciation; it's just that I'm not very good at expressing it."  If that's true, your appreciation doesn't really help anyone.  Gratitude that isn't expressed is the same as having no gratitude at all.  Therefore, to be genuinely thankful, we need to do more than just feel thankful; we need to act on it.

God places great importance on the habit of giving thanks.  The phrase "give thanks" appears thirty-three times in the Bible.  Most of the time, it refers to giving thanks to God, but Scripture also shows examples of expressing gratitude and appreciation toward others.  Both are essential.  So let's look at how to give thanks.

There are two things I encourage you to do. First of all, if you're thankful to or for someone or something.

1. Say Something About It

"Thank you." It's a simple phrase, but it's often overlooked.  Maybe we assume the other person knows we're thankful, but if they don't hear it, they won't realize.  This applies to what parents say to children and to each other, as well as to what children say to their parents and to each other.  Paul often began his letters with words of thanks.   1 Corinthians 1:4, "I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;"

What a great example to follow.  Remember to say thank you, even to those who aren't perfect.  Your employees, friends, spouse, kids, parents, co-workers, and even the server at the coffee shop may not fully meet your expectations or realize their potential, but you know what?  You can still express gratitude and show appreciation.  That's where you begin with thanks-doing.  Say it.

2. Make The Most Out Of It 

If you're thankful for something, use it. Enjoy it. Make it part of your life. When God gives you a beautiful day, don't just glance out the window and say, "Isn't it pretty outside?"  Make the most of it: go outside at least for a few minutes and enjoy the beauty firsthand.  When we say we're thankful for something but never take time to enjoy it, we're not truly expressing gratitude.  If it's something important to you, it's worth your time and attention. 

There's a story about Jesus healing a demon-possessed man, and afterward he told him in Mark 5:19b, "Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee." In other words, make the most of the gift that you've been given.

In closing, genuine gratitude is more than a feeling. It's an action. It's not just a feeling of thankfulness; it's a doing of thankfulness.  Thanks-doing means we don't keep it to ourselves. We say something about it.  Don't be afraid to say thank you.

Thanks-doing means that when we are blessed in any way, we show our appreciation by saying something about it, and by making it part of our lives. Happy Thanks-doing!

May you truly thank God for his bountiful blessing to you.